Oil-based agricultural compositions are often desirable in applications requiring, for example, a combination of properties such as penetration, spread, rainfastness, persistency, stability, compatibility, and the like. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,210,696, such oil based compositions may take the form of a dispersion. However, many such prior agricultural dispersions are limited in the types of agricultural compounds that may be employed and/or have limited efficacy, dispersion stability, rheology persistency, and compatibility. Thus, new formulations are needed that exhibit such desirable properties or combinations of properties.
Fortunately, the present invention provides water immiscible agricultural dispersions that often exhibit suitable or enhanced efficacy, dispersion stability, rheology persistency, and/or compatibility. The dispersions typically comprise a disperse phase comprising an agriculturally active compound; a continuous phase comprising a water immiscible liquid; and a metal compound having a molecular weight of from about 150 to about 15,000 Daltons. The agriculturally active compound may be selected from the group consisting of fungicides, insecticides, herbicides, nematocides, and mixtures thereof.
In another embodiment, the invention relates to compositions suitable for forming a dispersion. The compositions often comprise an agriculturally active compound selected from the group consisting of fungicides, insecticides, herbicides, nematocides, and mixtures thereof and a multivalent metal oligomeric or polymeric compound having a molecular weight of from about 150 to about 15,000 Daltons. Typically, the multivalent metal compound comprises two or more functional groups selected from the group consisting of acrylate, methacrylate, hydroxyl, carboxyl, ester and mixtures thereof.
In another embodiment, the invention relates to dispersions comprising from about 1 to about 70 weight percent based on the weight of the dispersion of ethylene bisdithiocarbamate, from about 0.001 to about 20 weight percent based on the weight of the dispersion of a multivalent metal compound, and an oil.